November 18, 2005
Unique Burnham-On-Sea sight and sound exhibition opens in Bristol
A unique exhibition of Burnham-On-Sea paintings, video and sounds has opened in Bristol at the city’s annual Totterdown Art Trail.
Formed in 2001 by a group of local artists, Totterdown’s Art Trail has grown steadily year on year and attracts more than 3,000 visitors to front rooms of homes in the area.
Co-organiser Penny Russell (pictured below) has spent several months filming relaxing scenes in Burnham for the video, recording typical sounds from the town, and collecting paintings.
“I was going to make something about the beach in general, and obviously started with Burnham as it’s the most beautiful beach in the south west,” said Penny.
“It’s hard to put your finger on why Burnham is so special – and some people just don’t get it, but there is a huge sense of space and when I go down there, especially on the beach, I can feel the world lifting off my shoulders.
“And I like walking round the town centre, it has a friendly, comfy feel to it – lots of people strolling round browsing – even in winter at the weekends.”
Her film and soundtrack have been shot with the aim of showing typical scenes from the town and letting the viewer come away relaxed.
“The film has lots of lush shots of the beach and the views, some amazing sunsets from photos that a couple of Burnham-based people have let me use, and some shots of people out on the beach doing things – digging for bait, fishing, walking the dog.”
“It also has a soundtrack partly collected by walking round the town on a Sunday afternoon and recording the sounds I heard.”
“I wanted to get the feel of what Burnham means to me so that when you watch it you just sit back and let it wash over you and you leave feeling happy and relaxed.”
“There are two lots of paintings – one triptych and one single painting. One features seagulls and is called ‘The Nightmare Before Binday’ which I guess a lot of Burnham people could relate to!”
The paintings are by Linda Perfect and Richard Franks, both Burnham residents. The triptych is framed in driftwood collected form the beach.
The Burnham-On-Sea exhibit, film and paintings are at 31 Hill St.
Entrance is free, but people are free to make a donation.
Opening times for the exhibition are Fri November 18th 6pm-9pm and Saturday November 19th and Sunday November 20th 11am-5pm.
